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Shabani may be a little hairier than your average pin-up - and at 177 kgs, he's certainly a little heavier - but none of that has deterred humans of the fairer sex from flocking to admire the 'hunky' and 'handsome' gorilla.

His zoo has been flooded with young female visitors desperate for a glimpse of the 'buff' primate. And 18-year-old silverback Shabani doesn't seem to mind, playing up to his adoring audience by posing for pictures, staring pensively into the distance and showing off his muscular physique.

Takayuki Ishikawa, spokesman for Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, Japan, said: "Sometimes if you're taking photos it will look like he's posing for you like a model. He often rests his chin on his hands and looks intently at you. He is more buff than most gorillas and he's at his peak physically.

"We've seen a rise in the number of female visitors - women say he's very good-looking."

Father of two Shabani has been at the zoo since 2007, but rose to fame as campaign model for a zoo festival this year. A recent flurry of tweets has catapulted him to international celebrity status, with fans posting pictures and describing him as 'hot' and 'too handsome'.